Girls pick tea in a tea garden during the shooting of a television show in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China on April 17, 2016. (Photo : Getty Images/Visual China Group)
The apex media regulator of China has introduced new guidelines with prohibition on TV shows highlighting western lifestyle. The embargo adds to the existing list of banned items applicable for electronic and visual media.
The new regulation directs TV shows refraining from inserting any content admiring western lifestyle or jokes humiliating Chinese traditions or undermining local classic materials. The shows are also barred from putting stars, billionaires or internet celebrities on pedestals. Any show depicting private affairs, relationships or family feuds is also included in the ban list, reports CNN quoting state-run Xinhua news agency.
'The Saga of Wu Zetian', a mass adored opera show on China's lone empress has witnessed an abrupt pulling from broadcast since January 2015 citing technical reasons. The TV show has earned a nickname- 'The Saga of Wu's Breasts' due to excessive display of cleavages by the actresses representing costume designs from Tang dynasty period.
After a brief halt, the show resumed with display of lot less skin. According to The CW 33, the show resumed after hiding the cleavages through cropping footages following instructions from the media regulator.
The show now broadcasts with focus on stars' faces instead of highlighting cleavages. The imposed changes have attracted widespread online criticisms.
In another instance, Chinese media regulator has imposed banning on screening celebrity's children during April. The decision has turned end to one of the most popular TV shows in China which aims to offer children a normal childhood keeping out of the spotlight.
Meanwhile, the media regulator has also imposed new stringent regulations for online shows during March under the title, 'General Rules for Television Series Content Production'. The regulations have been drafted in accordance with Chinese President Xi Jinping's directed motto of arts based on serving social purposes.
Furthermore, the new regulations also ban promoting smoking, drinking, fighting, homosexuality as well as other unhealthy attitudes. Analysts believe that this particular regulation has been enacted with a view to control smoking and alcoholism. A report published by The Lancet suggests, around 68 percent of Chinese adults are smokers.
Chinese media regulator has introduced more stringent regulations for Chinese TV shows. The changes have been made to transform arts as means for serving social causes following directives from Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, the changes have attracted immense criticisms among the online viewers.
The video shows TV show viewers online protest against Chinese censorship.
